Palestinian pilgrimage: Frank Chikane and Christian leaders return from ‘mercy trip’

A delegation of South African Christian leaders arrived back in the country on Thursday afternoon, 28 December after spending Christmas in Bethlehem in a show of support to the Palestinian people while the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza is raging on.

Struggle veteran and cleric Reverend Frank Chikane led the delegation to the Palestinian town, south of Jerusalem in the West Bank.

Struggle veteran Frank Chikane on Palestinian pilgrimage

The delegation’s pilgrimage of solidarity with the people of Palestine was organised by Kairos Southern Africa in collaboration with Kairos Palestine.

In a press conference at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport, Chikane said the group had met Christian leaders in that region and interacted with civilians and people from other faiths. The group visited Jerusalem and Tel Aviv as well.

Frank Chikane on ‘sense of the state for Palestinian people’

Chikane expressed his disapproval of the travel restrictions and regulations that are in place.

“Even when you get a taxi to go to the airport, the number plates [which are valid] ends here beyond a certain gate. You then need another car with a different number plate and colour code to be able to drive through Jerusalem,” Chikane said.

Chikane claimed that he had witnessed a concerning episode of what he considers to have been a case of human rights abuse when one of the members of the Christian delegation almost being stripped naked by Israeli authorities during a search.

“Palestinian authorities cannot arrest an Israeli, but they can arrest Palestinians. They can arrest the Palestinians and take them to Israel and that was the experience.”

“When you are in that place, you know what to do. I am giving you a sense of the state for the Palestinian people,” Chikane said.

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‘Power does come to an end’ – Chikane

Chikane made an urgent appeal for peace and had the following to say about the changing nature of power.

“Power does come to and end. The Israelis need to know…even the US [United States] needs to know that power comes to end. Even where Palestine is, were empires that are gone today,” Chikane said.

“The world is going to pay a huge price by allowing this genocide to happen,” he continued.

“If you suspend international law completely, it is a crime against humanity.”

‘Mercy trip’ to Holy Land

Meanwhile, South African Council of Churches (SACC) Secretary General (SG) Bishop Melusi Mpumlwana said the Christian delegation had gone on “a mercy trip to the Holy Land”.

He said peace in Palestine was important. He emphasised that it was important to keep in mind that there are not only Muslim people in Palestine, but Christians as well.

“It was our purpose to call on the various communities of the world to act on the pain of collective punishment which means the characterisation of ethnic cleansing and genocide,” Mpumlwana argued.

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